News from Philadelphia, the US & the world in Jewish eyes, kosher recipes, arts reviews & more.

Other than bread, we are not instructed to serve any specific dishes during Sukkot. The point of this festival is to celebrate the fall harvest. A wonderful way to connect to nature is to cook with what is in season locally. In Pennsylvania we are blessed with a bountiful fall harvest. Hearty homemade vegetable soups accompanied by an assortment of breads are a wonderful way for your family and guests to warm up during the chilly fall evenings in the sukkah.

You can source your local vegetables by gathering your own crops from your garden, picking vegetables yourself at a farm, being a member of a Community Supported Agriculture group, or shopping at your local farmer’s market, coop, or supermarket. Fresh seasonal produce will result in the most flavorful soups.

Soup and bread recipes after the jump.Some fruits and vegetables that are harvested in Pennsylvania in the fall are broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, lima beans, peppers, pumpkins, and apples. Here is a recipe for a pareve harvest soup that incorporates some of these fresh vegetables adapted from Casey’s Café.

Spicy Fall Harvest Soup

2 or 3 of any kind of squash such as butternut squash, pumpkin, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, or hubbard.

2 large onions

2 sweet potatoes

2 rutabagas

green onions

cilantro

olive oil

salt

black pepper

2 cups of vegetable broth

3 cups of coconut milk

2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger

1 cup sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon red Thai curry

2 tablespoons Garam Masala

1 tablespoons Ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds and rub the inside with olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet.

Place the onion, sweet potatoes, rutabags, and turnips in a porcelain baking dish. Add ½ cup of water, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake all of these vegetables for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Peel the squash.

Puree all the vegetables in a food processor.

Place the puree in a stockpot with 4 cups of water, the vegetable broth, and coconut milk.

Add ginger, chili sauce, coriander, curry, and garam masala to taste.

You can chop up green onion and cilantro to garnish.

Serve with whole grain corn bread for a gluten-free feast. Here is a recipe adapted from The Fresh Loaf.

Whole Grain Corn Bread

2 cups ground corn meal

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 ¾ cups of soymilk

1 ¾ tablespoons of vinegar

2 tablespoons raw honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

Oil an 8X8 inch porcelain baking dish.

Pour the batter into the dish.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Pennsylvania is one of the largest growers of mushrooms in the world. The rich variety of mushrooms we can get in Kennet Square is not to be overlooked. Phillips Mushroom Farms grow White, Portobello, Baby Bella, Crimini, Shiitake, Oyster, Maitake, Beech, Enoki, Royal Trumpet, and Pom Pom mushrooms. Below is an adaptation of Ina Garten’s mushroom soup recipe.

Mushroom Medley Soup

2 cups thinly sliced assorted fresh mushrooms

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

2 leeks, diced

1 cup minced cilantro

1 tablespoon minced thyme

extra virgin olive oil

1 cup white wine

salt

black pepper

¼ cup flour

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half and half

In a large stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sautee the onion, one cup of mushrooms, and carrot. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. When the vegetables have softened, after about 15 minutes, add 6 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

Take another stockpot, and heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the leeks. Let them soften slowly over low heat. After 20 minutes, add the remaining mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, and then add the wine. Pour in the mushroom stock from the other pot and stir.

Simmer for 15 minutes. Add the heavy cream and half and half. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve hot, with a crusty baguette. Here is a recipe adapted from Food.com

Fresh Baguette

4 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 packet active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix water, sugar, and yeast together. Allow to foam, and then add flour and salt. Knead well. Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise for 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Form loaf on a cookie sheet.

Prepare an ovenproof bowl with water.

Place cookie sheet with loaf and bowl of water in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes.

A warming, sweet, cinnamony fall fruit soup is the perfect end to the Sukkah feast.

You may use freshly harvested Pennsylvania heirloom apples that are good for cooking such as:

Red Gravenstein: An apple variety that was brought to Pennsylvania from Germany in the 1600s.

Grimes Golden: This apple variety is believed to have been planted in West Virginia by Johnny Appleseed in 1795.

Cox Orange Pippin: This apple was brought from England in the 1830s. It matures to a beautiful red color, and is excellent for cooking.

Calville Blanc: A French apple grown for King Louis XIII, it has a tart flavor.

Newtown Pippin: This variety was grown for export by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s.

This soup goes well with fresh, hot pumpkin bread. It is a pareve recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.

Pumpkin Bread

1 cup pureed pumpkin

¼ cup water

2 eggs

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix all the ingredients except the roasted pumpkin seeds in a bowl.

Pour into a 9X5X3 inch loaf pan which has been coated with olive oil.

Decorate the top with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Bake for 60 minutes.

As the fall days grow shorter and cooler, the yearly ritual is upon us. We celebrate the fall harvest together in our sukkot. Whether you are hosting or visiting, offering a delicious, homemade warming soup and a fresh loaf of fragrant bread is the perfect way to bond with friends and family.